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"Get up lad. You have to get up!"

The first thing that Harry was aware of as he regained consciousness was that someone was lightly smacking him on the face. He cracked open his eyes to see that the culprit was Ordol. The man was crouched over Harry, looking around frantically.

"Come on son, we have to get out of here now."

Harry grabbed onto Ordol's outstretched hand, and allowed himself to be pulled up. The force of standing quickly made him cognizant of the fact that his body felt like it had just been battered. There was a coppery taste in his mouth, which was without a doubt blood. He seemed to have taken a tooth through the lip when he impacted the wall. Spitting a mouthful of the crimson fluid onto the ground, he ignored the rest of his aches for the time being, and took inventory of his surroundings instead.

The prison was unrecognizable. All of the holding cells were now open and prisoners were streaming through the rubble and towards the exit. A large chunk of the ceiling had caved in at the point of the explosion, and debris littered the room. There was no sign of the Sith, but Harry realized that if he had managed to survive, then there was no reason to believe the dark side sycophant couldn't have.

He looked down and saw his lightsaber was miraculously undamaged. Picking it up he made his way towards the exit behind the line of other escaped prisoners.

"I don't know what the hell you were thinking, coming down here," Ordol bemoaned, as he stayed closely pressed to Harry's back. "That explosion is going to have every stormtrooper in the area coming for us."

"I wasn't really planning on any explosions," Harry noted. "Really, this whole thing went smoother in my mind."

"Your mind is going to be splattered all over a wall if we don't get out of here."

The duo pushed passed a group of prisoners and finally made it back out into the hall and moved towards the lift. It seemed they were lucky, as the imperials were being slow to rouse their forces. The lift was still down where Harry had left it, but at the moment it was crammed with escapees trying to make it out of the building. Harry pulled Ordol into the back of the lift, and somewhat guiltily pushed outward with the Force so that no else could squeeze on. The lift door closed and then steadily began to rise.

The first sign that they were in trouble happened when the lift ceased it's upward journey, and bolts of blaster fire shattered the lift door. Harry was forced back against the wall as the prisoners in front of him fell backwards into him, dead. Looking out into the hall he saw at least fifteen stormtroopers lined up and rapidly firing their weapons. He knew that he needed to act quickly before the numbers increased even further. Reaching for his belt, he pulled off his blaster and handed it to Ordol, who was doing his best to avoid the incoming attacks.

"Shoot back," Harry instructed, relinquishing the weapon.

"Your going to do something stupid aren't you?" Ordol questioned, reluctantly taking the blaster and opening fire.

"Probably."

With that ominous response, Harry ignited his lightsaber and bolted from the lift. Immediately he became the focus of the stormtrooper attacks. He focused on his training, trying to feel the location of the blasts before they hit. Raising his saber he deflected the first round of bolts that came his way, but the second volley started to overwhelm him. One of the bolts singed his shoulder, causing him to wince and dive into a room along the hallway.

The numbers were stacked too heavily against him at the moment, and the enemy had the advantage of attacking from afar. He needed to get in close to be affective against the ranged attacks. It was time for a combination of Force and magic. Siding up against the door, he pulled back and unleashed a vicious blasting spell against the far wall next to the stormstroopers. The spell crashed into the metal, ripping it apart into tiny hunks of shrapnel. The metal shards did little damage to the white armor, but force of the magic was enough to knock the front line of soldiers off balance. Sensing that this was his small window of opportunity, Harry dived and rolled back into the hallway.

The stormtroopers who had been towards the back and took the lesser brunt of his spell managed to get a few shots off, but they sailed harmlessly over his head. He came out of his roll right in front of the enemy, and barely gave any thought to his actions as he proceeded with his attack. He cringed as the first screams invaded his ears, as his lightsaber swept horizontally through the lower limbs of the soldier. White-armored legs fell away from bodies, causing their owners to fall to the ground. Harry didn't give them time to recover, simply jabbing down through armored chests, permanently incapacitating. As the first line fell, he used his body to crash into the second, staying close enough that it was a risk to fire a weapon without hitting a comrade. When he noticed two soldiers had a clear shot at him, he reached out with the Force and hurtled them into the wall with backbreaking impact.

It seemed that his actions had given the surviving prisoners some courage of their own, because the next thing he knew, they were next to him tackling stormtroopers for their weapons. One by one the soldiers fell, until they were all no longer an immediate danger.

"I once saw a Jedi in passing when I was a young man, but never one in action. Extraordinary." Ordol had made his way from the lift and was next to Harry once again. "We have to leave this place, and quickly. Do you have a plan?"

"Your daughter," Harry responded.

"Nola?"

"She's waiting with transports."

"To go where?"

"Where you take us."

Ordol raised his brows in confusion. "Take you?"

"To the Rebels."

Harry didn't speak any further; instead he started for the main door to the Capital Building. The door was open, and while Harry could see no soldiers directly outside of it, but the city itself was alive with activity. Apparently the decimation of the Imperial prison had resonated around the town, so that people had become curious, seeking an explanation. Outside of the innocent information seekers, Harry could hear commotion around the city that was certainly more nefarious in nature. It would not take long for more stormtroopers to surround the building.

"This way," Harry shouted, directing Ordol down the street and towards their means of escape. They were about halfway down the street when Harry was forced to stop and turnaround. There was a piercing yell from the front of the Capital Building, and immediately Harry knew that he had been correct in his assumption...Darth Iratus had indeed survived the blast. The enraged, one-armed Sith stalked down the front of the building, his lightsaber held in his remaining hand. Two escaping prisoners tried to run passed, but they were quickly cut almost clean in two by slices from Iratus' blade.

As soon as the bodies hit the ground, Harry resumed his journey down the street. It didn't take them long before they were at the spot where Harry had left Nola, but he quickly realized that she was not alone. Two stormtroopers had her pinned against the wall, one with his hand around her throat and the other with his blaster jammed into her stomach. Harry barely had a moment to breathe before his violet saber was lit and gripped in both hands.

"Hey!" The stormtroopers turned, and Harry could barely say whether he was using his magic or the Force, but the one with his hand on Nola's neck flew toward him. The fluttering soldier stood no chance as Harry jabbed his saber forward through the man's chest. The second stormtrooper turned his weapon on Harry and fired a shot, which Harry deflected easily. He followed the block by spinning and slashing down, cutting the stormtrooper from shoulder to hip. The crippled man looked like he would try to get off another shot, so Harry stepped forward and launched a kick into his stomach, sending him down.

"Are you hurt?" Harry stepped forward, and noticed Nola rubbing her neck where the soldier had been holding her.

"I'll be fine," she replied dropping her hand. Then suddenly her eyes turned to the man next to him and lit up. "You're alive!" She reached out and pulled her Father into tight hug, carefully avoiding his injuries.

"I'm okay, Nola," he consoled, patting her back. "But we won't be if we don't leave right now.

"You have to take Harry to the Rebels," Nola commanded. "I promised him you would if he managed to bring you back.

"Let's go then, and fast."

Ordol hopped onto the back of the other swoop bike, while Harry mounted his own. He was about to take off when he felt a weight behind him and arms wrap around his torso. He looked back and eyed Nola curiously.

"Your bike is bigger," she began normally and then whispered, "and between you I, my Father is a horrible driver." Harry just shook his head and accelerated, feeling his passenger press herself closer and her grip tighten. Harry had to remind himself to watch where he was going.

Harry stayed in front, intending to do so until they made it out of the city. They buzzed passed people and rapidly approached the gate. He chanced a look behind him and saw that there was a long line of trouble coming down the street behind them. Iratus led whole squad of stormtroopers through the city streets barreling through innocent citizens who stood their way. Turning back around he saw that three stormtroopers stood guard at the gate. Before he even had a chance to consider what to do, he felt Nola's hand extend out over his soldier, a blaster tight in her grip. She opened fire, and surprisingly dropped all three of the soldiers without needing to waste a shot.

Harry looked back at her and she grinned. "What? I'm not helpless."

"Never even crossed my mind."

The passed the gate without anymore trouble and entered the open desert of Tatooine. Just being out the city, Harry immediately felt his body relax. However his mind was still going a mile a minute. If he had to grade himself by wizarding standards on his stealth mission, he would have to give a grade of troll. Fighting a Sith and inciting chaos in Bestine had certainly not been the goal for the evening.

"We need to head west."

Harry looked over and saw Ordol had pulled up along side of him and was pointing towards their destination. In the distance, were a series of mountains that stretched out along the landscape. Their western path brought them directly towards a valley where two of the mountains converged. The valley was a tight squeeze, and he and Ordol were force to ride single file to fit through. Eventually Ordol decreased his speed and came to a stop in front of an unremarkable piece of mountain wall. Ordol dismounted from his bike and approached the wall. He reached out with his right hand and laid it flat against the wall. The older man stayed there until a crease of light formed in the mountain, about the size of the average garage door. The light only increased as the door retracted into the mountain leaving a large passage into the heart of the mountain.

Ordol mountain his bike once again, and turned his head to face them. "Follow me. This was the passage I used to deliver supplies."

They sent their transports forward and through the door, which resealed itself after they passed by. Harry's were immediately drawn to the beauty of the passage they were going through. It had been carved directly through the mountain without any other sort of support system added. There were sporadic lights along the passage, but no other signs of life. Eventually they reached a wider portion of the passage where Ordol stopped them.

"We'll leave the bikes here. We don't want to spook anyone riding them into the main part of the base."

Thus they left their transports and continued on by foot. They walked for several more minutes until the tunnel narrowed and they approached two men standing guard at and opening which seemed to open up into a larger chamber. The two men wore matching tan uniforms, with some type of darker body armor over their chests. Both carried blaster rifles, which they raised quickly as the trio approached them.

"No further, and identify yourselves," the guard on the left called.

"We mean no harm. It's me, Ordol."

The guard dropped his gun slightly in seeming confusion. "Ordol? We heard that you had been taken. How is that you're standing here and not dead?"

"My daughter and her friend here managed to free me," Ordol explained.

"They convinced the Imperials to let you go? Even though they suspected you of aiding us?"

"No, they broke into the prison and freed me."

"Harry broke into the prison and freed you actually," Nola clarified.

"You broke into an Imperial prison?" The guard looked at Harry as if he was insane.

"I did, and all of you need to prepare to leave quickly," Harry warned.

"And why is that?"

"Because the might of the Imperial army is going to converge on Tatooine trying to find me and every Rebel on this planet."

"What makes you so special that the Empire would want you so desperately?" the other guard joined the conversation.

Harry didn't answer verbally, but simply held out his hand a called his lightsaber to it. As the hilt fell into his grip he switched it on and the violet light of the blade spread throughout the chamber.

"Jedi," the two guards whispered almost in perfect harmony. "I think you should come and meet the commander," the talkative guard suggested.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The three sat in some sort of war room inside the mountain. That had been left to themselves while the guards retrieved their leader. Each of them sat quietly, the exhaustion of the night finally starting to set in. Harry's body ached and he felt himself drifting off as he leaned his head back against his chair. His attempt at a nap was interrupted though, when the commander made his way into the room. The man was middle-aged, bald, and built like rock. His arm muscles were barely contained by the same uniform that the guards had worn.

The man's grey eyes immediately locked onto Harry. "I'm Commander Trest. My men tell me that a Jedi Knight just walked into our base. I'm assuming that you would be the one they spoke of?"

"I am," Harry answered.

"The Alliance has been using every resource it has to try and locate exiled Jedi. I have to say I never expected one to simply walk right in one day. How is that you came to be here?"

Harry was forced to be creative on how he actually ended up on Tatooine. He spun a tale of having escaped the carnage on Coruscant and landing on Tatooine. He then explained of meeting Ordol and Nola, and wanting to use Ordol's connection to join the Rebellion.

"So you blew up an Imperial prison, and now the Empire knows that a Jedi is on Tatooine?" Trest asked for confirmation.

"Pretty much," Harry responded.

"And now the three bases that I command are under immediate threat," Trest surmised. "You could turn yourself into the Imperial to try and stall their invasion."

Harry looked at the man like he was an idiot. "You did hear the part where I mentioned fighting the Sith lord, didn't you? You have problems beyond the Emperor and Vader now. If what Iratus told me is true, there are even more Sith out there fighting with the Empire. How many other Jedi do you have in your alliance to stand against them?"

Trest sighed, "None, truthfully. We've heard rumors about possible locations, but we lack the manpower at this point to investigate them all. We've sent out our own transmissions speaking of Jedi involvement in the Rebellion just for the purpose of misdirecting the Empire. Unfortunately now they have you to focus on as well."

Harry leaned forward on his elbows, clasping his hands. "I'm sorry that I was discovered, but what's done is done. Iratus is not going to be idle. We need to get off the planet and you need to get all of your personnel off as well...at least until the threat decreases. Do this and I'll help you investigate those rumors about surviving Jedi." Trest just stared at Harry for several long moments before pushed back his chair and headed for the entrance. "Where are you going?" Harry called.

"To start evacuation protocols," Trest yelled without looking backwards.

"Well that's one hurdle crossed," Ordol commented, rising from his own chair. "Actually getting off the planet is another matter all together. I am going to find somewhere to clean up."

"You could use a bath as well," Nola commented to him after her Father left. "You look like hell."

"Thanks," Harry replied, dryly. "This is what you look like when you're at the center of an explosion."

"Sorry," she laughed, eyes sparkling. "I didn't mean to offend."

"Doesn't mean I won't follow your suggestion." Harry left his seat, but before he could escape, Nola had reached out for his hand.

"Thank you for giving me my Father back," she stated, heartfelt. She pulled on his hand, bringing him closer, and once again he felt her lips on his. The last time had been quick, but this time he lingered, enjoying the physical closeness of another person. Everyone he knew from his past was gone, but this closeness seemed to fill a hole within him. He wouldn't deny himself the good things about living in this, his second chance at life. Nola's hand gracefully came up and caressed the back of his neck as they parted. She smiled at him deeply.

"Just so you know," she grinned, "I'm coming with you on your Jedi search."

Harry couldn't fight off his own grin. "I never doubted it."